Police carrying out welfare checks on a vulnerable man in Brighton have arrested three men and one woman on suspicion of supplying drugs over two days.
Police visited an address in High Street on Thursday (Jan 27) as part of Operation Cuckoo, which involves officers checking on vulnerable people at risk of exploitation and cuckooing.
Cuckooing is the practice of drug dealers using the homes of vulnerable people as a base from which to supply drugs.
A search of the address found three people in one bedroom who were not residents of the property - all were in possession of Class A drugs and/or items linked to the supply of illegal drugs.
Two men from London, aged 22 and 33, and a 19-year-old woman of no fixed address, were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug and released on conditional bail.
The following day (January 28th), at around 7.30pm, officers visited the address again after a concerned member of the public reported suspicious people at the property.
An 18-year-old man from Chichester was caught by officers after attempting to escape out of a rear window and arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs.
Sergeant Peter Marshall, of Brighton and Hove’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:
“The illegal drug trade goes hand in hand with violence and the exploitation of vulnerable people.
“Cuckooing has a devastating impact on the lives of victims, whose homes are taken over by drug dealers often through the manipulation of substance abuse issues or with the threat of violence.
“We will continue to work with our partners in the community to identify people who are at risk of this crime, put measures in place to keep them safe and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“As always, the public reporting their concerns is an essential part of that process, and we would ask anybody with suspicions to get in touch via the Sussex Police website or by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.”
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